Shattered by Love

by C. A. Harms

All the missed calls accompanied by angry voicemails were waiting. I chose to start with the text messages, which were all the same--everyone telling me to call them and not to run away.

  Instead of checking the voicemails, I flipped through the pictures on my phone: of my family. Mariah’s happy grin as Uncle Tanner held her upside down by her feet, and Carson and Kate holding Carly at Riley’s wedding.

  I continued to flip through them, taking in each one. The longer I looked, the older the pictures were.

  I swallowed hard when Bree’s face filled my screen. My chest tightened and my throat burned. Riley’s words flashed through my head over and over.

  My finger traced over the picture of Bree covering my screen. She had fallen asleep against my chest one night, after I showed up at her place around midnight. I could still remember it in my mind, so clearly.

  ***

  Jason and I had decided to hit the bar after my shift. It was one of those shifts when I needed to get loaded afterward. I called him up and convinced him to meet me at the bar.

  When we left, we took a cab and I rambled Bree’s address without a second thought. Looking over at Jason, I saw that he held a smirk on his face. “What are you smiling for, fucker?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “When are you gonna just commit to that girl, man? Admit that you’re in love with her.”

  “Whatever, asshole, I’m drunk and horny. Bree and I have an understanding. She knows not to expect more. I don’t want a nagging girlfriend.”

  Jason only shook his head and looked out of the opposite window. I just blew him off, as he had no idea what he was talking about.

  The minute the cab pulled up outside of her apartment, I stumbled out onto the sidewalk. It was just after midnight and I knew she would be in bed. The thought of her answering the door in her tight sleep shorts had me hard and ready.

  I knocked on her door and leaned against the wall. I heard her shuffling around inside and could picture her looking out through the peephole. “Let me in baby. I need to see my girl.”

  After a few seconds, I was about to knock again, when I heard the chain slide and the handle rattle. Her pink toenails came into view as I let my head hang. Slowly I let my gaze slide up her bare, tanned and sexy as fuck legs--the same legs that I have had wrapped around my waist so many times. Bree had the best damn legs.

  I took in her yellow tight boy shorts and light blue tank that showed off her toned stomach. The light caught her belly ring and I licked my lower lip, as all my dirty thoughts filled my head. Her nipples, hard under the thin material, made my dick press against the material of my jeans a little tighter.

  My gaze connected with her sleepy eyes, and she bit her lower lip as I took a step toward her. “It’s really late, Max.”

  “Or really early, depends on how you look at it.” She tried not to smile but failed miserably. “Don’t act like you didn’t miss me, Angel. You were hoping you would get a midnight visit. You like my sexy ass.”

  She laughed as I nudged my way inside, closing the door behind me. She turned and was walking toward her bed when I grabbed her hips, pulling her back to me. I brushed her hair aside and kissed her shoulder, letting my tongue run up the side of her neck. Her ass pushed back against me as she arched her back. A light moan escaped her sweet lips.

  “You feel that?” I whispered against her ear. Her head fell back against my shoulder. A barely audible ‘yes’ fell from her lips. “That’s all for you, sweet girl. You are so incredibly sexy, Bree.” I turned her around and placed her back against her front door. Her eyes remained closed tightly as I lowered her shorts down her gorgeous long legs. Tossing them to the side, I knelt before her, looking up to meet her hooded eyes. Tracing my tongue along her inner thigh, I placed her leg over my shoulder, never taking my eyes from hers as I inched closer to her sweet pussy. She watched as I ran my tongue over her clit and sucked lightly. Her knees weakened and I held her up.

  Hearing her moan my name as her body shook was so damn fulfilling. It only made me hungrier for her. Quickly undoing my pants, I took my cock in my hand, pumping it lightly. I stood up, taking her with me and wrapping her long legs around my waist. She was so fucking wet that her inner thighs were slick against me.

  I drove into her in one thrust as she gripped my shoulders tightly. There was a light thud as her head fell back against the door. “Oh my god,” she moaned.

  “God has nothing to do with this, baby…this is all us. We make each other feel this good. Just us.” I thrust my hips, slamming into her over and over. I drove into her as her insides tightened around me. “So fucking good, Angel. So tight and sweet, baby.” Her pussy tensed and pulsated as an orgasm ripped through her.

  “That’s right, damn.” I couldn’t hold out. It was too good. I slammed my hand against the door as I tilted my hips, pumping hard and fast. The blackness filled the room as I came so fucking hard.

  Once I was able to think straight, I lowered her down on shaky legs. She braced herself against the door to keep from falling. When her eyes met mine, she smiled.

  “Now tell me again how late it is.” I grinned down at her before I leaned forward and kissed her softly. “Can I stay the night…please?” I pouted and she laughed, shoving me back from her. I watched as her naked ass walked toward her bed and crawled under the covers.

  When she was comfortable, she tapped the empty space next to her. “Come on, muscle man…climb in. You know the pout isn’t necessary. I can’t tell you no.” As I climbed on the bed next to her, I could have sworn I heard her whisper, “That’s the problem, I can’t say no.”

  She curled against me and laid her head on my chest. After about ten minutes, she slowly drifted off to sleep. Her slow even breaths filled the silence.

  That was when I took the photos of her. She looked so peaceful and happy.

  Bree rarely held a smile when we were together. I was not good to her; most of our nights ended with her crying or me slipping out of her bed to go home. That thought made my stomach hurt. She deserved more than me. I wasn’t good for her. I was the cocky son of a bitch that should have just left her alone.

  What most people didn’t know was that it was façade, a vision I wanted others to see. Yeah, I flirted, and occasionally hooked up with girls. I just didn’t do it as often as others thought. I hadn’t touched a girl in months other than Bree. The last time I had a hook-up with some random girl was so long ago. Bree and I had once again gone our separate ways, and it was only a blowjob that had happened just that once. The only thing that I accomplished was to make myself feel like shit in the process. Bree was the one that made me feel whole. Any other girl just left me feeling disgusted.

  I continued to look through the photos I had secretly taken of her. She still had no idea that I kept these photos of her on my phone.

  Chapter Six

  Bree

  “Damn girl, look at you.” Ryan hollered from behind me. I spun around, holding my hands out as my short dress flared out around my thighs. “Smokin,’ baby girl. You look hot.”

  I looked at myself once more from head to toe in the mirror. ‘You don’t think it’s too much?”

  “Too much? Honey, it’s barely there.” I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed. “There won’t be a softy in the club.”

  “Ryan!” I gasped and shoved at his chest.

  “What? You do know how damn hot you are, don’t you?” I felt sexy. Over the last two weeks I had spent a lot of time on me. For once I had decided I would no longer settle for being someone’s second choice. I would no longer let anyone make me feel like I deserved less than his all.

  Tonight was a start. I had met a guy, Dylan, at the center. He wasn’t my usual type, but he was very sweet. We’ve had coffee a few times and tonight will be our first official date. I was meeting him at a club his friend owns, Wicked Detour. It was a newer club where I had never been. Everyone I talked to told me it was the place to be, so when he brought it up, I was in.

  Ryan and his
new friend Kurt were also going to be there. Just in case things went south, I felt better having him close. I never told this to Dylan, of course; it would be a secret Ryan and I shared.

  I didn’t know Dylan enough yet to put my trust fully in him. After all, we had only met a couple of weeks ago.

  The moment I stepped into the club, I heard a few loud whistles and cat calls. Guys were so predictable; show some skin and they lost their ability to control their dicks.

  After I was carded, I entered the club in search of my date. On the way to the bar, three different guys offered to buy me a drink. I politely declined as I walked past, smiling. It felt good for once to have a little attention.

  I noticed Dylan sitting at the bar talking to the guy working behind it. I tapped his shoulder lightly and he spun around. His eyes went wide as he took in my appearance. “Wow.” He cleared his throat, and I could see it bob as he swallowed hard. “Aubree…you look gorgeous.”

  My cheeks heated up and I smiled. “Thank you.”

  The guy behind the bar spoke up, pulling my attention from Dylan. “Damn D, you said she was good looking, but I don’t ever remember you mentioning anything about her being this hot.” He let out a low whistle. “If things don’t work out with this knuckle head, I’ll take his place.” He winked and began moving around behind the bar, making drinks. The fact that his eyes kept flipping back over to me never went unnoticed. The guy was one of those that thought girls fell at his feet. Not this girl, not anymore.

  “So what are you drinking?” Dylan asked as he grabbed the attention of the other bartender. “Jack and Coke please.” He turned back to the bartender to place our order. I could tell that Dylan had a head start on the drinking. His voice was already slightly slurred. He couldn’t take his eyes off my tits or my ass. If I were being honest, I was actually a little uncomfortable with his staring. He was doing nothing to try to hide it.

  Once the bartender gave us our drinks, I slowly sipped mine. I took a seat on the stool next to Dylan. I was attempting to force him to focus more on my face by hiding my body against the bar.

  “Did I tell you yet how fucking hot you look tonight?” Yep, the boy was definitely hammered and this date was quickly becoming a disaster. He wasn’t acting at all like the sweet guy I met at work.

  When I looked up to see Ryan across the bar, he appeared to be having a great time. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin his night. So taking one for the team, I chose to trudge through this mess.

  “Yep, Dylan, you did, the first time it was just worded a little differently.” I looked into the mirror behind the bar, watching the band’s reflection behind me. I didn’t want to turn around and give him another reason to stare. At least this way the bar gave me a little shelter from his obviously gawking.

  Dylan’s hand grazed my thigh and I looked up to find his lips very close to mine. I leaned back to give myself just a little more space. He licked his lower lip and looked down at my tits once more. “Those are really nice.”

  “Excuse me?” He dipped his head, indicating the fact that he was talking about my tits. Nope, he never even attempted to talk his way out of that one. He just went all at it instead.

  “Your tits, nice. I bet they taste good, too.”

  I was definitely shocked. Dylan sober was a sweet guy, but Dylan drunk was a total fucktard and he had just killed his chances of ever having a second date.

  “I need to use the restroom. You wait here. I’ll be right back.” He nodded his head and I quickly stood up and walked toward Ryan. I knew that Dylan was watching me, as I could feel my skin crawling from his stare.

  “Hey, hot stuff, how’s the date going?” Ryan asked as I approached his table.

  “It’s going completely wrong…so wrong. I mean, the first thing he says is that I have nice tits and that he bets they taste good, too.” I flopped into the chair next to him. “I mean seriously, Ryan, who the hell says stuff like that? No wonder the guy is single. I’m grossed out and I think I just need to grab a cab.”

  “Uh, no, you will not take a cab,” he stated without hesitation.

  I looked across the table at Ryan’s friend. He was watching us interact with each other. He held a smirk on his face.

  I reached out and he took my hand in his. “Hi, you must be Kurt. I’m Bree, Ryan’s sister.” Yes, I said sister, because Ryan was the closest thing I had to a brother, and that was how we introduced one another.

  “Nice to me you. Your date sounds like a real charmer.” He chuckled and I laughed.

  I looked over toward the bar and noticed a girl in a very tight and revealing purple dress rubbing up against Dylan. The fact that his hand was sliding up her dress and disappearing beneath it made me gag.

  Ryan’s eyes flipped in that direction and he let out a laugh. “Well, at least he isn’t wandering the bar looking for you.”

  A sense of relief washed over me and I relaxed back in the chair. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to turn this night around. At least I could hang with Ryan and Kurt, attempting to salvage the night.

  A few minutes later, Miss Purple Dress dragged my date off toward the bathroom. He showed no signs of disagreement and an involuntary shiver ran through me. I actually thought he was a nice guy. Boy, was I wrong.

  Thirty minutes later they were still missing. I could only laugh. Once again I was the one left alone. This time, though, that thought made me happy.

  Chapter Seven

  Max

  I had only been back a little over twenty four hours and I was being forced to go out with my family. They all decided I needed a night out with the gang. They gave my ass no choice; it was go or listen to their whining all damn night.

  Climbing into Carson’s new Tahoe was a little easier than Riley’s Camaro, so that is where I sat. Yes, I was feeling better about things. I wasn’t completely myself, but I was getting there.

  I really just felt like staying in and drinking a few beers. They all had this genius plan to go out and get hammered instead.

  “This place is full tonight.” Tanner was bouncing around in the back seat, and all I could do was groan. He was such a fucking dweeb sometimes.

  I looked ahead at the glowing blue and red sign. “Wicked Detour? When did this place open?” The truck came to a stop and we all began climbing out, I a little slower than the rest.

  “About three weeks ago, I think. It seems like the new place to be. It’s gotten some really good reviews and the place is always busy.” Zander grabbed Riley’s hand and they walked toward the entrance.

  Taking a deep breath, I hobbled after all them. I was ready to get this shit over with. Maybe they would only stay a couple of hours.

  The two weeks away was a good choice. I needed some time to sort out all the shit in my head. I had to move past the guilt and blame. The fact that I could have been responsible for the death of that little boy that night still lingered in my head. The anger about the outcome still ate away at me. I could now cope with it, though, as each day it got a little easier.

  I found the nearest table and sat down, propping my leg up on the chair next to me. “Bro’, you want a beer?” Carson asked as he and Kate walked toward the bar. I nodded my head as I scanned the place, taking it all in.

  The band was good and Zander was bobbing his head with the beat. He looked like a freak playing air guitar against his thigh. It was just confirmation that he thought the band was good, too. The guy was a fucking rock star, in more ways than one. Riley did well with him; he was good man.

  Riley took the seat just to my side and rested her chin on my shoulder. “She looks really good, doesn’t she?” I looked over at her and wrinkled my eyes in confusion.

  “Who?” I began scanning the room in an attempt to see who the hell she was referring to. My eyes stopped immediately on a familiar set of legs that made my chest ache. Her back was to me, but there was no mistaking who that body belonged to. I was very familiar with every curve it held. I knew where to touch, lick and kiss that body
to drive it crazy.

  Dark hair flowed down her back in big waves. Her hips moved from side to side in a hypnotizing way--a way that made my heart race and melt at the same time.

  “Bree,” Riley whispered before standing up from the table. She slowly made her way toward the girl that I let walk out of my life, the girl I broke and never fought for, the same girl that held my soul, although I was too much of a pussy to admit it.

  Riley tapped her shoulder and Bree turned to face her. She immediately wrapped her arms around her shoulders. They both laughed and talked with ease. I watched their interaction closely. Even the moment Carson sat my beer down on the table, I never looked away. I stared and waited for her to look my way. I wanted to see her reaction.

  Kate slipped away from the table and joined the girls across the bar. That was the point when her eyes met mine. I held her gaze, hoping she would smile or hell, even glare. I took the initiative and winked. Her gaze quickly fell toward the floor and my heart sank.

  I grabbed for my beer and slammed it back, downing over half of it in one gulp. The shit was going down too easily, and it looked like tonight would be one of those nights--just another night of regret, I was having those a lot lately.

  By the time Riley and Kate made it back to our table, I was on my third beer. It was easier to try to drown it out than face the fact that I had screwed up once again.

  I noticed Bree’s head continuing to flip in our direction, but this time I refused to meet her stare. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable; that was never my intention. I was trying to break through the tension, and maybe I was hoping to get a glimpse of her gorgeous smile. I secretly missed the hell out of that smile.

  I knew the guy she was with was her friend Ryan, and the girls informed me that the other guy was Ryan’s date. When Kate announced that Bree had met a guy here, it hit low in the gut. The thought of another guy touching her stung. I know I had no say, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.